We managed to interview B8 Esports CS2 player Oleksii “alex666” Yarmoshchuk. In the interview, we discussed the team's results at Elisa Masters Espoo 2024 and ESL Challenger Katowice 2024, the period with the questionable MelBet Team and Betera Esports, and the upcoming RMR for the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024.
Do you feel any fatigue after an intensive October schedule?
There's no real fatigue, but yes, October was very packed: bootcamps, flights, LAN tournaments — it's a bit exhausting. We played about 20 matches, though it feels like we played far more.
What stages of your career development led you to participate in high-level LAN tournaments?
At the start of my career, I went to some local LANs in Kyiv. Later, when I joined a decent esports team like B8, where we had some results, LAN was still a luxury. We made it to RMR twice but nowhere else. This time, we played at Elisa Masters Espoo 2024, ESL Challenger Katowice 2024, and there will be another RMR in 2-3 weeks. At a LAN, you first need to play a few games to adjust to opponents. Before the tournaments, we had a bootcamp in Belgrade, but its main goal was not hardcore CS training but more like team building.
What activities helped your team bond during the bootcamp?
We just talked a lot and spent time together. We played scrims and then went playing table tennis, billiards, or watched some movies together. That's how team building was upgraded.
Were there any funny situations at the bootcamp?
We had separate rooms, so I can't recall any funny situations. We had one day off when we went for a city walk and that was it. It was quite a systematic bootcamp.
What gave you confidence in your abilities after the bootcamp and tournaments?
For the bootcamp itself, during these 10 days, I don't think we felt anything special. The feeling started to change when we began winning matches at LAN, especially after the ESL Challenger Katowice. Beating Eternal Fire twice made us realize we are not far off from the tier-1 scene.
How do you evaluate your chances against other teams in the tournament?
We knew we could beat any team in this tournament. We understood we are not that weak compared to any team in the tournament. The main thing is to avoid many mistakes in the game. That's how it works for us. We just need to play our game.
Are you satisfied with the team's performance at ESL Challenger Katowice?
I think so. Definitely at ESL Challenger Katowice. About Elisa, not so sure. We beat not very strong teams there, so the impressions were mixed. But after ESL Challenger, I think the whole team is pleased that we showed a good result. We could have won the final, but I think they prepared for us better. We had only 30 minutes after the semi-final win over paiN and it was a bit tough. It was an exhausting game, and SAW easily took us down. Without a chance.
How does playing teams differ in best-of-1 and best-of-3 formats?
Online, it was quite easy, then when we played best-of-1 at ESL Challenger we sort of knew we should beat them. Everything was going well, but we lost the force and they started snowballing. That's how they beat us. In best-of-3, we wanted to do the same thing as online, but this time they prepared better than online.
How do performances at LAN tournaments affect your confidence before RMR?
Perhaps that's true. But I feel that confidence builds strongly. When you go to a tournament before RMR and beat many strong teams, it gives you a big boost. You already know you're prepared for the next LAN. You also have an advantage over teams that made it to the RMR through online qualifiers and haven't played LAN before. I feel we have an edge over such teams, as we've already played two LANs before the RMR. You could say we have our battle scars.
How is the visa process going for the tournament in China?
We were waiting for tickets and invitations from the organizers. They've already provided everything, so today or tomorrow, I'll be applying for the visa to China. It doesn't take long to process, about four days. So, we can say we're ready.
Have there been any issues with obtaining visas for a team based in Europe?
All of us live in Europe, so there doesn't seem to be a problem getting a visa or anything like that. You just need to show a document proving you're legally in Europe. You get your visa and that's it. So far, there haven't been any issues.
How do esports careers typically develop, including your own?
I think preparation is pretty much the same for everyone. If you look at our team, I think every esports player starts online, and it's not like you go from LAN to LAN immediately. They all first showed their skills online, and then got invites to good teams. It was the same for me. It's different for everyone. Everyone needs their own time to adapt to the LAN atmosphere.
Has the war affected your motivation and development as an esports player?
My relatives lived outside Ukraine even before the war, so there are only two grandmothers and two grandfathers there for me. I'm a bit worried about them. The war has definitely impacted me. Players playing from Ukraine right now have very few options for development. That's why motivation is declining among Ukrainian players.
Why did you decide to join MelBet Team, knowing its Russian origin?
There was such a situation. I came to visit my mom in Italy, and I had no options. There were a few offers from the NA region and some other team, I don't remember. Then I got an invite to MelBet Team. The coach there was starix. I knew about his reputation, but they told me we would play under the Ukrainian flag and the two Russians in the lineup don't live in Russia, never did, and they are against the war.
Were you concerned that MelBet is connected to Russian companies?
When the offer came, I immediately found out that the organization was 1XBET and it's not registered in Russia. Maybe the roots came from there, but there's no direct connection with Russia. Especially since it's the main sponsor of ESL. So the team played under the Ukrainian flag. I was sitting at home and didn't have huge savings to wait long for a better invite. So I decided to join MelBet Team because they offered good money and I did not want to sit idle.
Later I was called to Betera. They had Belarusians. Betera is the former Parimatch, which split due to the war. They told me they weren't tied to Russia in any way and are against the war. So I accepted that offer. Besides, the organization is registered in Kazakhstan. Because I, and even the Belarusians, received salaries from Kazakhstan, and that's where they paid taxes for us.
Do you feel any shame for participating in teams with players from aggressor countries?
Sometimes I'm ashamed to have played in those teams, but as I said before, I didn't want to live off my mom. I would never have joined a team where a Russian or Belarusian player was pro-war. I knew there would be hate. It's not like I'm neutral about all this, but it ended up like that.
How important is it for you to represent Ukraine on the international stage?
We play with pride. We have five Ukrainians in the roster, and we represent our country. It essentially doesn't benefit us, but it's pleasing for us to play.
How do you evaluate your chances against Spirit at RMR?
I think we've already shown at this ESL Challenger Katowice that we can beat teams from the top-10 in the world. And against Spirit, there will be chances. It will be best-of-1, and it will be a 50-50 match. We need to prepare, win at least one pistol round and force round. Then the game will go smoothly. They are a strong opponent, but we can beat them just like we did Eternal Fire.
How do you assess your chances of making it to the major?
I think we have a chance to make it to the major. If you take our group and highlight the super stable teams, it's G2, Eternal Fire, HEROIC, and Spirit. Those are more or less stable teams. But with other teams, we won't be huge underdogs. All will be 50-50.
What were the challenges in transitioning from practice to LAN matches?
I think in the past, we had a lot of time for preparation and little practice. We trained a lot and had few tournaments. So we jumped from practice straight into LAN and just lacked composure. Everyone really wanted to win and got too nervous — at some point, that was decisive.
Do you find practice instead of excessive preparation useful?
I think so. We have a lot of practice and less preparation. We play more official matches than we do training. It's normal over this stretch, but still, time is needed for practice to update strat books, game plans. Because if everything is unchanged, it will be the same as against SAW in the ESL Challenger final. People simply knew what we would do.
How are you preparing for upcoming tournaments like YaLLa Compass and RMR?
We had days off until November 3-4. After that, we begin training and simultaneously playing the play-offs of the online tournament YaLLa Compass; we got an invite. For the RMR, we will fly there about five days before it starts.
Does jetlag affect your performance during overseas tournaments?
I'm not afraid of jetlag because we arrive there and will have five days to recover.
Are you worried that acquaintances are watching your performances?
Friends. Maybe dad. Overall, I don't worry about someone I know watching me in tournaments. Maybe there's some jitter at the start of a match, but once you're in the game, you drop all that. You just play, as you do online.
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